This invention is directed generally to article handling equipment for handling articles such as can ends or the like, and more particularly to a novel and improved self-contained pick-and-place apparatus for selectively transferring stacks of articles such as stacks of nested can ends from one location to another location.
In article handling applications, such as the handling of can ends, relatively large numbers of such articles must be transferred between various stations such as in fabrication, packaging and other utilization apparatus at a relatively high rate. In some instances, articles such as can ends are handled in groups of a predetermined number stacked in groups of a predetermined number which are in an upright nested condition. In many instances, it is desired to handle such groups or "sticks" of can ends as they are often called, as a group, for example in moving the stick between generally parallel and spaced apart article-carrying lanes of associated article handling apparatus.
Pick-and-place devices of various designs have been heretofore utilized in accomplishing such transfers of groups of sticks of can ends or similar groups of stacked articles. In one application, the articles are moved alternatively into and out of storage trays, for example as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,870 to Mojden et al. issued Dec. 25, 1990, which is commonly owned herewith and also in application Ser. No. 07/984,181, filed Nov. 20, 1992 entitled AUTOMATIC LOADING, UNLOADING AND COMPENSATING SYSTEM now U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,473 and Ser. No. 08/011,381, filed Jan. 29, 1993 entitled INFEED APPARATUS FOR ARTICLE HANDLING SYSTEM now U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,382, which also are commonly owned with this application. In another application, a single pick-and-place device is shown for transferring can ends between lanes of a multiple lane infeed for a can end packaging apparatus, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,617 to Mojden et al. issued Jun. 9, 1992 which is also commonly owned herewith.
In some of the foregoing patents and applications, multiple pick-and-place devices are provided for servicing multiple lanes of an article handling system. As such, in some instances a number of different pick-and-place devices may be movable relative to the lanes, such that more than one pick-and-place device might service a given lane at any time. In the multiple lane bagging apparatus, a single pick-and-place device is shown servicing multiple lanes of the apparatus. In some instances, actuating means or mechanisms for opening and closing the pick-and-place devices relative to each lane have been associated with, and physically mounted adjacent, the lanes themselves, such that the actuating device may serve to open and close the jaws or article gripping means of each of a plurality of different pick-and-place devices as the same service the associated lane.
The present invention provides a novel and improved pick-and-place device which is of improved design and construction for improving even further on the devices shown in the foregoing patents and applications.
The pick-and-place device of the invention includes a novel and improved on-board system of opening and closing the article gripping members of the device. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the article gripping means further includes on-board lifting and lowering means for respectively lifting and lowering the article gripping members relative to the articles in lanes and/or article storage trays to be serviced by the device. This on-board lifting and lowering mechanism together with the opening and closing system are such that the pick-and-place device of the invention may be advantageously provided in a modular form to be mounted to a suitable mobile frame for movement of the device laterally among one or more lanes and/or multiple positions in a storage tray to be serviced thereby.
The present invention also presents a number of improvements in the construction of the pick-and-place device as will be more fully detailed hereinbelow. Among these improvements is a novel, central axial pivot shaft to which article gripping members are pivotally mounted. Also, the invention provides a novel system of an axially extending cam shaft mounting one or more cam members and responsive cam followers for pivoting the article gripping members between open and closed conditions for respectively releasing and retaining articles.